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History of Prairie du Chien

The braided streams of the Upper Mississippi River, earwings scenic beauty, abundant natural resources and history entwine to make Prairie du Chien a place of captivating allure. Situated near the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, successive Native American cultures lived and prospered here for more than 10,000 years. European settlement began in the late 1600s when Father Marquette and Louis Joliet mapped a water route from Montreal to the Mississippi River. They named the Ouisconsin River and established a canoe route that remained a major fur trade artery for more than two centuries. This trail led explorers, missionaries and fur traders across Wisconsin to the Mississippi River and to the site that would become Prairie du Chien.

At the end of the French and Indian War, New France was ceded to Great Britain and control of the profitable fur trade was taken over by English traders. The bulk of fur trade labor continued to be carried by French- Canadians, and in remote villages like Prairie du Chien, their culture remained dominant.

In 1781, three French-speaking Prairie du Chien fur traders petitioned the British Governor at Mackinac to purchase the village site from resident Mesquakie Indians. The land sold by the Mesquakie, also known as the Fox, stretched from the confluence of the Wisconsin River to a point where the bluffs arc back to the west and meet the Mississippi River, a length of about nine miles. The Mesquakie living here were associated with the Dog – or “chien” family–and hence the fertile plain was dubbed Les Prairie des Chien–shortened to Prairie du Chien.

Prairie du Chien became well known as an important fur trade gathering place for fur traders working along the scores of minor waterways throughout the region. Each spring and fall the village population swelled to several thousand notorious traders and voyageurs. These gatherings were known as rendezvous and were renowned for their festive games, gambling and other diversions. The community was culturally diverse with many Métis families, where French-speaking men and Native American women raised large families of mixed-blood children.

An incremental transition to American identity and control began in the early 1800s, with a major turning point occurring during the War of 1812. American troops from St. Louis built Fort Shelby to challenge the British traders still active in the region. The fort provoked the only battle to take place in what is today Wisconsin, where more than 600 British-Canadian soldiers, militia and Indian allies opposed a vastly smaller force of Americans. The battle ended in American defeat, although the War saw American victory and the removal of British traders and British claim to the region.

After the War, American soldiers fortified their western frontier with a chain of forts that brought American customs and regulation to the region with its many Indian Nations. Fort Crawford was built in Prairie du Chien–first on St. Feriole Island where Villa Louis stands today and later moved to higher ground, which is the current site of the Fort Crawford Historical Museum.

Prairie du Chien continued to grow and prosper throughout the 1800s. It became an important steamboat stop in the 1830s and a railroad hub in the 1850s. The coming of the railroad prompted an unprecedented building boom, including the historic downtown, today concentrated on Blackhawk Avenue. There was much focus on new industry and education with a broad range of ethnic diversity. Slowly, the old fur trade village gave way to a regional center for agriculture, commerce and transportation.

In the depths of the Great Depression of the 1930s, area residents rediscovered the fascinating past of their storied-town, one of the oldest European cities on the Mississippi River. Streets were re-named to honor historical figures associated with Prairie du Chien and the city embraced heritage tourism as an economic and commercial pursuit.

Like the river itself, the history of Prairie du Chien is old, varied and endlessly fascinating, inviting a pause for reflection and for romance.